Caramel budino

I wrote down the name of this dessert that was mentioned in the book by Dan Brown, Inferno. Looked it up today and wish I could get it somewhere. Looks too complicated for me to make. It involves filtering through cheesecloth. Not that I haven't ever attempted that.

Today the weather has deteriorated to hot and REALLY humid. I have art class tomorrow and there are two reasons why I MUST go, even though there is no air conditioning there. Just bought a book illustrated by my art teacher. And I have a date to go swimming and out to lunch with a friend who lives near there. Also, the owner of the art studio does not accept negativity in any form, political or weather-related. So I must persevere and try to ignore my hatred of heat and humidity. Am remembering now why people try to escape the heat by traveling to other locales.

Had to go to the Laundromat this AM. Next time, I should take MORE clothes (more trips, ugh) because my laundry is getting really backed up. It is a humbling (humiliating?) experience to go to the Laundromat. No air conditioning, not many places to sit, only the poor around.

Exercised...then ate

Felt good about getting back to aqua zumba class which just started up TODAY. I love exercising in the water - no sweat! Then met a friend for lunch and ate like a horse.
Lox and bagels and onions and tomatoes and capers and cole slaw.

South wind (book), Norman Douglas. No idea how, where or when I got this book for my Nook. It was a bit confusing with many characters living (when?) on some island (where?) talking about a lot of things. There was a volcano nearby. It seemed to be an island somewhere in the Mediterranean (Greece or Italy?) When in Italy, heard about one of the winds called a Sirroco. That wind figured in my book. Looked up Nepenthe when I got home and found that it is another name for the island of CAPRI - which I just visited! Norman Douglas lived from 1868 - 1952. He wrote this book in 1917 and it was very popular around the time of World war I. It has been described as "a conversation novel without a plot".

Inferno (book), by Dan Brown. Also read on the Nook, borrowed through the Overdrive system. Greatly enjoyed this fast moving thriller tracking down a virus before it can be released. All over Italy and then to Turkey. Many events happen in a 24 hour day and they are all life and death events and there is a lot of confusion about who is working for whom.

Getting kicked out...again

Thought it was nice that the library had put up a sign saying that the printer was broken. (They are never that thoughtful). Once I was in here, though, it seems that another printer is working. When I mentioned it to the librarian, she referred me to the circulation desk. Grrr...I give up! Am getting kicked out of the lab as there is a class happening in here at 2 PM.

Seeking peace (audio book): chronicles of the worst Buddhist in the world, by Mary Pipher. I kept thinking that maybe I had read if before? The author describes how her success brought her into a life style which was ruining her life. Her most successful book was Reviving Ophelia. She doesn't really go into the subject of her books at all. In the end, I did enjoy it, although I thought it went on too long. (AUD CD B PIPHER) Got it from the Vineland Public Library.

Feeling like a party pooper. Complained to a friend about a restaurant that he likes (Sweet Lula's in Pitman, NJ). To me it was just CACOPHONY. The are playing a movie on the wall (Little Rascals in black and white). The room is filled with large groups of people drinking and being very rowdy. Then, the hostess commences to sing and she has to sing really LOUDLY to overcome the noise of the patrons. I was with a group of five and we could barely hear each other talking. This, to me is not fun. So, I guess I AM a party pooper. Spend my time trying to AVOID parties and social situations, unless I know the people well.

Semi-famous people I have been told I look like

- Ali MacGraw (in her/my younger days)
- Jeanne Moreau (same downturned smile)
- Glenn Close (I never saw any resemblance)
- Laurie Metcalf (who plays Sheldon's mother in The big bang theory and Roseanne's sister in Roseanne) - (6/23/14)

Nice relaxing days in the air conditioned library looking up stuff as it strikes my fancy...Jersey boys, Laurie Metcalf, how to spell azalea, etc. Went to get a fig newton that I brought in but they had all been devoured.

Jersey boys (movie): directed by Clint Eastwood. Could see it again. All of the boys pretty charming, even the "bad" boy. I never felt that interested in going to see the play that others raved about so I finally got to see the movie. Fascinating. The family situations were a bit glossed over. Most of the focus was on the relationships between the band members. A bit of (suppressed) violence and interesting Jersey and mob references.

A feeling of well-being

Is it thanks to recent trip or summer or what? Or perhaps as was quoted in a New Yorker story..."He had worked as a carpenter and landscaper for years and was happy, as he often said, to have no other responsibilities but to watch the sun rise and set."

Approaching the ATM machine, I am appalled at the litter of all of the receipts people leave around. I feel sort of lucky when I see so many that say "insufficient funds" or have a balance of $8.94.

Getting more emails and enjoying them less.
- Yahoo: 20535
- Google: Hundreds
- work: thousands
- left at my previous job: thousands

Things I noticed in Atlantic City yesterday

- quite an intercultural mix - gorgeous bikini clad white folks - ethnic families - tattooed and pregnant folk - elderly casino lovers
- Hispanic woman wearing a silver revealing bathing suit covered with chains and necklaces
- Hispanic woman wearing a skimpy t-shirt that said "I (heart) black guys"
- Indians taking pictures of themselves in front of Trump Taj Mahal
- Italian woman participating in the World series of sand sculpting

Tuscany (book), photographs by Sonja Bullaty & Angelo Lomeo, text by Marie-Ange Guillaume. Since I did not take pictures in Italy, I enjoyed reading this large nonfiction book with many photographs of Tuscany. Siena was the only city I was in and I loved it. There were a lot of photographs of other cities and beautiful countryside much like what I saw.
- "The old haystacks, true works of art, can still be found but are gradually giving way to more efficient methods of storing hay." I think I only saw the big round bales of hay and not the old haystacks.
- "There are in blocks of marble images that are sumptuous and essential, if only we have sufficient genius to extract them. - Michelangelo"

The Keillor reader (book), by Garrison Keillor: I say I don't appreciate him as much in the written form as I do in the talking form, but some of these essays make me want to own the book. I especially like the final essay on Cheerfulness.
- From the introduction: "There is nothing like good material. You only had to say NEW YORK and there was an awestruck silence. You went, you saw, and now you tell the others." and: "The living wander away, we don't hear from them for months, years - but the dead move in with us to stay"

Niggas vs. Black people

This is a VERY FUNNY routine on the Chris Rock album Roll with the new. Today I went to a talk on Laughter as the best medicine. So, I got this album on Hoopla to assist me in getting laughter in my life. It is really doing the job.

It is a gorgeous day outside but I have been spending a lot of time indoors. Breakfast at the Amish market, lunch and a lecture at the health club, lifting weights at the health club and now stuck in the library using the Internet.
Looking forward to getting home tonight and staying there. I love being home when it is sunny. I have quite large windows and I enjoy the sun coming in them. When I get kicked out of the library, I will take a little "Vitamin D bath".

Found out that the wildflower workshop I signed up for tomorrow is OUTSIDE. I guess that is better than inside.